Place: Ratings & Reviews

Kind of a homey place, inside a house with a drop in setting. Very relaxing and comfortable, I can see people wanting to be regulars. Pivate and intimate upstairs. Very friendly and accomodating. Good selection of local brews, but nothing I liked on 9 taps. Well ventillated, allows smoking of course.I didn't try the food but saw what my buddy was getting which looked very good. Bottle list everything you can get at the local stores now or before. Come here to relax, they need to open up what they get on tap and in bottles.

Besides the Wild Rose taproom, I can't think of anywhere else in Calgary that comes close to the Hop In Brew for great regional beer (fresh & plenty of taps), relaxed atmosphere, and friendly knowledgeable service. Dick is accommodating and clearly has a passion for craft beer - allowing us to bring in a few of our own bottles to taste alongside their on tap offerings was definitely a much appreciated and kind gesture. Highly recommended, and must on anyone's list of beery things to do in Calgary. Be sure to check out many of the limited to HIB on tap offerings. Will be back many times.

This is definitely an interesting spot. The bar is set in an old house, with tables set throughout and a small bar in one of the rooms. There are two floors; the upper floor has some couches, I think, and a pool table.

Pretty good selection of local beers on tap (about 12 or so)... the bartender seemed like she was pretty knowledgeable about the beers. She admitted they didn't have anything interesting available in bottles.

At the time, there wasn't really too many people around, so the place had a very empty feel to it due to the layout, but I'm sure it would be a little more enjoyable once it filled up a bit, which I've heard it usually does.

Went here with my girlfriend so I could drink Olde Deuteronomy on tap. Great beer and a great pub, set in a old creaky house I rather liked the setting. The service was good and the people working there had decent knowledge about their beers. On a previous visit the owner Dick let us do a private tasting and I thought that was pretty cool. The menu is small but the pizza was great and worth trying. Lots of good taps with local beers from out west I had some Hop Head to and it's great on tap. So ya for Calgary this place is great I recommend it

In the "yellow house" on 12th avenue, is a delightful true pub atmosphere and a great selection of Alberta and BC micros. The owner, through Wild Rose, brews a Belgian Tripple style ale, and it was delicious. As the menu says, the brew is still in the "fine tuning stages," but it still tastes delightfully flavourful. What a superb, bold style to brew! The aroma is not typical of the style, but the taste certainly is. The draught-bar also had some Alley Kat, Big Rock, Cider Creek and Wild Rose. Wow, does Velvet Fog ever taste exceptional on tap! I enjoyed the atmosphere, save the fact that they allow smoking. Selection is great, since they avidly support local beer, and the pizza they bake is fantastic. The service was good, but I think they need at least 2 waitresses, not just one.

All said, this was a relaxing pub, with no television, no loud music, and a quiet, conversation-fostering atmosphere.

Calgary's best pub to get local beer. A very good local tap selection. No TVs so a great place for meetings or to talk. Can be very busy on weekends. Short menu but pizza is very good. Pretty much limited to food that has cheese on it. This includes pizza and nachos. Friday is a pizza price special. Does not open till 4PM on most days so don't go for lunch or if you get off early. Dick, the owner, loves beer and loves hops. He has his own recipe for two beers that he alternates on tap and has brewed locally. These are Two Gun and Golden Spur. They are both Belgian inspired.

Went here for a couple pints after work and really enjoyed it. To say this place is unique is an understatement, the decor is all beer related from tap handles to bombers and bottles. It feels like you're drinking in someones living room, which is really great. The food, from what I can tell, is really good, though I only personally tasted the nachos. Where this place shines is the quality of the beers offered. All of their taps are micro brews and they offer some pretty unique beers. Though not a massive selection, every beer is well chosen and there's an offering for every different beer lover. I was fortunate enough to have a half pint of La Chouffe and a pint of Howe Sound Nut Brown Ale, both of which were absolutely delicious. I would recommend this place to anyone looking to get out for a delicious pint of beer in a unique atmosphere. We were there after work and it was relatively quiet, however, I understand that it gets pretty busy later in the evenings.

Went there with buddy on wednesday night. Bar is actually in an old house in downtown Calgary. Very authentic place. It's really small of course, but really nice inside. It wasn't busy at all, so service was extremely fast. Waitress was nice and helpful too. But the main feature of this pub - selection of local brews. If you're in calgary and want to try Alberta and BC's best beer - go there. I don't know any other place in Calgary which would offer this. I wish I lived close by, that would be my first destination.On other side, their food menu didn't look that good. The had pizzas (quite large selection though) and nachos that's it. we got nachos as we weren't that hungry, they were average and nothing special. But we didn't go there for food, that's for sure.So, have a nice dinner before that and then go taste the best local beers at one place. Score!

This is my favorite pub in Calgary. It can get quite packed, even on mid-week nights, which says something since there are numerous (maybe a dozen) other choices within a 5 minute walk of the place.

The pizza is exceptional and consistently good. There really is no other worthwhile food choice. But you're going for the beer, anyway, and you can't beat the Canadian content there.

The beer selection is always skewed to the local microbrews of Alberta, BC, and the Yukon. There are Wild Rose beers for people who want an IPA or a brown ale; Alley Kat brews for a superb "Full Moon Pale Ale" bitter as well as seasonal offerings from Alley Kat such as Oktoberfest, Marzen,and Barley-Wine (if you're lucky to get some before they run out).You can get an Arctic Red from Yukon brewers that is a fabulous beer on tap (and not bad from the bottle). Then they have Big Rock beers (usually Traditional and almost always "Reserve" stout) although they have been lax on ordering in McNally's recently. More people need top request that one...

Their signature brew, Goldspur (a Belgian Trippel) is not to be missed. It is outstanding!

Waah!!! Now I've gone and made myself thirsty.

The comments on the service are, regretably, pretty accurate. If you're downstairs and it's not too busy then you'll be taken care of. Upstairs is another story. They do comb the place for empty glasses on a regular basis, though. They could definitely use another server on most nights but, in this city, that's a tall order right now.

The Hop 'n Brew is located in a moderately seedy part of downtown, inside of a creaky old house with lots of good character. On tap, they had a relatively wide variety of local craft brews, including at least one that is specially brewed just for them, according to a recipe developed by the owner. It's too bad that I discovered this just as I was leaving! On tap, they have a handful from Wild Rose, Alley Kat, Big Rock, and a few others. I'm told they occasionally bring in a cask-conditioned offering from Wildwood, but I've yet to see it for myself.

The beer is as good as the best of Alberta, which can be quite good. I especially enjoyed Alley Kat's Full Moon Pale Ale and Wild Rose's Brown went down smooth and easy. The service was a little slow, but not so much that it detracted from the overall experience.

They don't have a huge menu to choose from, but the pizza is quite good!

Finally got around to checking this place out on my last visit to Calgary.

It's in a rustic old 2-storey house with a ton of character. The walls are lined with various bottles, and most of the original "rooms" are still in tact, so there are several cozy areas to find a table. Tables and chairs are typical of a traditional pub; well worn, but sturdy. I don't recall any music, whatever was playing, it was quiet enough to make this a great place for conversation.

Quality is very good. Beer is expertly dispensed and at the correct temperature, plus glassware is clean. Tap lines seemed to be well kept, I didn't pick up any off flavours in the beers I sampled.

Service is somewhat limited, but still quality. They had no table service on the night we were there, so I had to order food at the bar (although it was brought to our table). That small gripe aside, the bartenders were very on the ball, and kept our table clear of empty glassware. They also seemed to be appreciative of my choice of beers and answered all of my questions satisfactorily... they even shook my hand at the end of the night.

Tap selection is the best I have come across. Tons of great craft beer to choose from, about 12 taps, all of it quality stuff except for the Big Rock and Steamwhistle which is there to please the average joes I guess. They even have their own contract brew, Gold Spur, a tripel brewed by Alley Kat. I like that they carry a few stronger choices like Gold Spur (9%), Brew Bros Prairie Steamer (6.5%), Wild Rose Cherry Porter (6.5%), as well as a true NW-style IPA Tree Hophead. It was a joy to sample many of these beers on tap. Bottle selection was limited to Unibroue and a few others... sorry I really don't care about bottles when I go to a pub.

Food is typical pub fare. On recommendation, we went with a couple of their gourmet pizzas to share. Very tasty and well made.

4 of us had 2 pints each, plus we shared 2 10" pizzas. Bill came to just under $80 before tip. I think the pints (20oz) were about $6, which is pretty standard in Canada. Seems pretty reasonable to me, especially for very good beer.

All in all, I LOVED this place. Highly recommended. The other 3 people that came with me are not beer drinkers, yet they too raved about it for days afterward. I really liked the fact that all of the beer on tap was Canadian, with the focus on local offerings (Wild Rose, Big Rock and Brew Brothers of Calgary, Alley Kat of Edmonton, Tree of Kelowna).

Been here many times over the last 5 years as it's less than one block from work. Basically and old early 1900's house turned into a pub, BUT keeping much of the house feel in terms of rooms, fire place, balcony, etc. Not a massive selection, but they always have about 10 craft brews on tap, with a few always being Calgary's Brew Brothers, then a rotating mix of B.C., international, seasonals, and the always present exlusive Alley Kat strong Belgian called Goldspur. The guy who owns/runs the place is a little weird, I've seen him get frazzled by putting a few tables together for a larger group, but its all good. Weekend night its a hangout for a mix of beer geeks, yuppies, punks, emo's, bangers, posers, etc. All around an eclectic place with a great beer selection that changes regularly.

I've tried to hit this place up on a number of occasions on my way through Calgary, but its 6pm opening time never quite worked out for me. Until now.

This pub resides in an old post-war house in downtown Calgary, just a few blocks from the commercial center. It really reminds me of a similar house I lived in back in university - so big nostalgia points already. Inside, there are numerous homey rooms, stocked with various Formica tables and rickety chairs, with a few cushioned banquettes. Beer memorabilia lines the walls, broken up by a surprising number of mirrors and windows. The tap list is on a chalkboard visible from the 'living room' where I set in. There's also a second floor, with a more open room, and a pool table. The clientele leans towards a young hipster vibe.

Upon arriving, I was greeted by both the bartender and the waitress, who were very friendly and knowledgeable throughout. I was there for the Alley Kat Goldspur, and was given a welcome description of its origins. Their rotating taps also had Big Rock's Scotch Ale, Mill Street Cobblestone Stout, and La Chouffe, amongst a decent standard array of other Western Canadian micros, and Unibroue.

Settled with a pint, I got around to what first assaulted my senses when I stepped in out of the cold - the pizza! The menu is pretty straightforward - pizza, in a comprehensive assortment of topping styles, with a few salad options as well. So, spicy pizza it was, and it was stellar - like a cross between my mom's, and the pies at an old Italian place in south Calgary who's name escapes me at this time.

The prices were reasonable for what you get, and I left quite satisfied with the bang for my buck. If I lived in Calgary, this establishment would easily eat up my going-out beer dollars.

Oh, and the staircase to the upstairs bathrooms is pretty narrow - just a heads up after a few Goldspur Tripels...

This is probably my all around favorite place to drink in Calgary and I've been many times, so instead of letting personal biases seep into a lengthy review I'm just going to quickly get into the relative pros and cons I see in this place:

Pros:-Good tap selection that rotate out a decent variety of quality canadian brews (Non-rotating taps include Goldspur, Aprikat, Full Moon, and Grasshopper I believe)-Cozy atmosphere free of TVs that makes having a conversation with a good friend or a first date ideal.-Relatively inexpensive for what you get-Hardly ever crowded

Cons:-Limited service. On most nights FOH staff includes1 bartender and 1 server MAX. If you can't deal with moseying up to the bar to get your brewksis, then this place is NOT for you.-Limited menu, although the pizzas are quite good.- Plays a god awful amount of mediocre indie-folk like Mumford And Sons, Lumineers, Wintersleep, etc.